mango

A facility has been launched in Kenya to aid commercial production of a protein bait to control fruit flies in Sub-Saharan Africa. The US$250,000 facility, which resulted from public-private partnership involving the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) and Kenya Biologics Ltd, will enable smallholders control fruit flies that devastate their fruits and vegetables.

The use of pesticides in Ethiopia has been increasing in recent years but it is thought that due to a lack of training and awareness, these chemicals are often being used unsafely and excessively. Many groups in Ethiopia are therefore raising awareness of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in which control methods are selected based on their economic justification and level of risk to the environment. Cultural control methods do not involve the use of chemical pesticides and so are often less expensive to implement and safer for the environment.

According to the Daily Star, mango production in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts in Bangladesh might be hampered by unfavourable weather this year. The farmers are worried as large numbers of fruits, up to 70%, fell from the trees before ripening. Following the attack by leaf hoppers earlier in March, mango trees in that area are now affected by an undiagnosed disease which has symptoms described as mould on leaves. This unconfirmed disease could potentially be caused by powdery mildew (Oidium mangiferae), but reliable pathogen diagnosis is needed before advising management strategies.

For advice on how to prevent and manage mango pests and diseases, such as powdery mildew, anthracnose and mango seed weevil, review the Green Lists hosted on the Plantwise knowledge bank providing cultural and biological management options.

The Green Lists are produced by Plantwise for use by plant doctors and extension workers who provide advice to farmers. To see more about the content held on the Plantwise knowledge bank, please click here.

We’ve selected a few of the latest new geographic, host and species records for plant pests and diseases from CAB Abstracts. Records this fortnight include the first report of Diaporthe pseudomangiferae causing inflorescence rot, rachis, canker, and flower abortion of mango, the first report of mixed infection of Papaya ringspot virus and phytoplasma in papaya in India and fig fly occurrence in Rio Grande do Sul State.

Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including a new device that can identify plant pests, the estimated economic loss from Mexican mangoes damaged by Hurricane Manuel and a new study into the optimal production of sweet potato.

Today, the European Union (EU) has imposed a ban on imports of Alphonso mango from India after authorities in Brussels found fruit flies infesting mango shipments earlier this year. This ban is likely to affect everyone in the supply chain – from growers to wholesalers to consumers.

Fruit flies are a major pest of mango and many other crops. To find out how pheromone traps can be used to control mango, please read the ‘Fruit fly control’ factsheet, written by staff at the Ministry of Agriculture in Sierra Leone.

Factsheets for Farmers are produced by partners in Plantwise countries to communicate agricultural extension information. To see more about the content held on the Plantwise knowledge bank, please click here.

The proportion of coffee producing areas used to cultivate shade-grown coffee is decreasing (Fernando Rebelo, GFDL)

Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including the postharvest pathology of beans, a reduction in the proportion of shade grown coffee and the filamentous fungus that may be effective at controlling sugarcane nematodes.

Follow

Subscribe

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Sign up for fall armyworm updates

If you would like to hear about the latest fall armyworm news from CABI please sign up here.

Contribute

If you are active in the field of plant health or development and would like to contribute to the Plantwise Blog, please contact Donna Hutchinson. We are happy to post any credible articles that we think would be of interest to our readership.

Views expressed in contributions do not necessarily reflect official CABI or Plantwise positions.